Christmas Island

Christmas Island News

French satellite scans provided fresh indications of objects adrift in part of the Indian Ocean that’s being scoured for the missing Malaysian airliner, backing up Chinese evidence as more planes and ships join the hunt.

A Chinese satellite detected an object in the southern Indian Ocean that’s almost the width of an Olympic-size swimming pool, giving renewed impetus to the hunt for the Malaysian airliner that disappeared more than two weeks ago.

A boat carrying people suspected of seeking asylum in Australia capsized in heavy seas close to Christmas Island, killing several passengers. Customs officials have pulled 27 bodies from the water, Sky News said.

A boat with 81 passengers that was stopped today off northwest Australia will be the first to face the government’s new policy of refusing entry to refugees and sending them to neighboring Papua New Guinea.

Another boat carrying at least 20 people has arrived at Christmas Island a day after dozens were killed when an earlier boat sank in heavy seas, news.com.au reported on its website, quoting witnesses who saw the second boat’s arrival.

Four people drowned after a boat carrying suspected asylum seekers capsized off Australia, the second fatal incident in a week as the government seeks to ease voter discontent over the flow of refugees ahead of elections.